ZrO2 nanoparticles for effective dye degradation in wastewater: Synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic performance under sunlight

The study addresses the critical issue of water contamination, focusing on the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye as industrial waste. A novel method is presented to synthesize zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles (NPs) using zirconium hydrogen phosphate as a precursor. The results proved the formation of spherical nanoparticles with an average particle size of about 23.24 nm, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The structural analysis demonstrated the existence of both tetragonal and monoclinic phases, with the dominance of the tetragonal phase. The photocatalytic evaluation under sunlight irradiation showed an impressive MB degradation efficiency of about 80 % in a relatively short time of 80 min. Thus, the study highlights the potential of ZrO2 NPs sensitized by a novel approach as highly efficient photocatalysis for water treatment.